"The Economics of Happiness in Asia" with Dr. Kent Schroeder and Prof. Jeremy Brooks

Oxford Society for International Development

Is there more to development than economic growth? Why are East Asian countries experiencing worrying rates of depression and suicide despite their drastic improvements in GDP? In this episode, our Asia Events Officer, Zilun Lin, speaks to Dr. Kent Schroeder and Prof. Jeremy Brooks about Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness model as an alternative developmental framework. Will this be the silver bullet which brings about more holistic development?

Prof. Brooks is an environmental social scientist at the Ohio State University. He draws from multiple disciplinary perspectives and applies evolutionary theory to the study of biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and sustainable consumption in domestic and international contexts.

Dr. Schroeder has over 20 years of experience working on sustainable development initiatives in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and the Canadian arctic. He is particularly interested in Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness model and has worked on a number of initiatives in Bhutan since 2006. Dr. Shroeder is currently the Executive Director of the Bhutan Canada Foundation.

Interview by Zilun Lin. Music by Lorcan Cudlip Cook. Learn more about the Oxford Society for International Development at oxsid.org